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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Sick and Tired over Poor Customer Service

It seems that more and more retailers are placing a greater emphasis on marketing, advertising, and selling more products and less emphasis on providing great customer service. These retailers, especially larger, discount retailers like Walmart and grocery stores such as Winn-Dixie, are letting customer service fall by the wayside. It as if the “bigwigs” in the corporate office think that the customers will shop wherever the prices are the lowest, without regard to how the customer is treated by the employees. I am noticing that less than stellar housekeeping is a problem as well at some Walmarts and Winn-Dixie retail locations. Case in point, I have visited several Walmarts at different locations in the South Florida area, and the treatment seems to be pretty consistent at nearly every location that I have visited. Many times the employees do not speak or acknowledge your presence when you arrive at the register. In fact, I get the impression that some of the employees view their job to assist the customer as a chore. More often than not, the cashier will wait for the customer to speak, before opening his or her mouth. In rare instances, some of the cashiers look at you like, “How dare you speak to me!” and won’t respond. When the transaction is complete you are fortunate, if you get a “Thank you” as opposed to silence and a dirty look, as the cashier hands you the receipt. I once visited a Walmart wanting to return something, so I waited at the courtesy desk. The clerk at the courtesy desk was nice. However, she called the electronics department over the PA system, because she needed assistance with answering a question for me. She called several times for someone from electronics to come to the courtesy desk for customer service, but no one came. After waiting for about 15 minutes, the clerk suggested that I walk back to the electronics department for assistance, so I did. To my dismay, about four employees were huddled around a cash register chit-chatting about nothing. It made me realize that the culture at Walmart is not conducive to good customer service or great employee work ethic. Needless to say, I was pissed. I don't shop there anymore. In fact, that particular location of Walmart is known as "ghetto". On a separate occasion, at a Publix, two cashiers at neighboring registers carried on a conversation as the customers stood in line waiting for their groceries to get rung up. I suppose that their conversation was much more important than tending to their customers. I would think that in this economy, that customer service would be of utmost importance to employees. I doesn't take rocket science to know that when customers are happy with their overall experience, they are more likely to return. Repeat business equals greater sales, and greater sales means better job security. Now more than ever, retailers are competing for the customers’ dollars. I mean, where is it written that I have to spend my money at Publix, Winn-Dixie, or Walmart? Also, when I worked at Winn-Dixie in the 1990s, the employees were taught a cardinal rule: “The customer is always right (even when he or she is really in the wrong)!” I am wondering if this rule went out the window.